Sunday, February 17, 2013

Living life in an artificial atmosphere

Institutional seminary life, at least when this writer was preparing for priesthood, was an 'artifical' type of existence.

A young man was taken away from his female and male peers. It was not the natural way to spend early manhood.

Aspects of the life were interesting, even exhilarating at times. We were introduced to things that may never have been possible in a different environment.

How many young Irish men in the 1970s lived in Italy or Germany and managed to learn to ski?

But to be 'removed' from the ordinary daily, nightly too, life of women has inevitably left its mark. And can it really be a good mark?

And then all the secrecy, those nods and winks when it came to anything to do with sexuality.

The UCD study on the issue needs careful study and open discussion. Hopefully, it will happen.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

They interviewed 9 (nine) people for this so-called study according to the piece in the Sunday Times...I'd say that will be talked about in years to come as an extensive piece of research?

Michael Commane said...

Not being a soothsayer I am unable to comment on what will be talked about in the future.

I do know a little about what happens today, what happened in the near past and what happened in the 1950s and 1960s.

Indeed, you make a valuable point. But it is unfortunate that it is made anonymously.

It would make a most interesting study to examine the style of the comments posted anonymously on this blog with the style of those comments which are identifabe.

Thank you for your comment.

Featured Post

Bede Joseph McGregor OP (1937 - 2024) - an obituary

Bede Joseph McGregor died in St Francis' Nursing Home, Mount Oliver, Dundalk, Co Louth on Monday, November 25. Bede was born in the Unit...